Matthew R. O'Connor
Matt O'Connor is an associate in Pierce Atwood’s Litigation Practice Group, focusing on construction, commercial, and ERISA litigation. In his construction work, Matt represents contractors and other entities in all manners of disputes, including mechanics' liens, construction defects, contract drafting, and navigating clients' interactions with state agencies. Recently, Matt was appointed to serve as a member of the Rhode Island Contractors’ Registration and Licensing Board.
Matt has experience resolving clients’ issues in the state, federal, and bankruptcy courts, the American Arbitration Association, and through means of alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation. Matt regularly represents clients in Rhode Island and Massachusetts and several national insurers.
Before Pierce Atwood, Matt clerked for Justice Francis X. Flaherty of the Rhode Island Supreme Court and was an associate at a regional New England law firm known for trial advocacy.
While in law school, Matt was a member of the Prosecutors Clinic, served as a Rule 3:03 Prosecutor with the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office in West Roxbury District Court, where he lead the prosecution of his first successful jury trial, was a member of the Moot Court Honor Board, and was an editor for the Suffolk Journal of Trial & Appellate Advocacy.
- Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® for Commercial Litigation (2026)
- Rhode Island Bar Association Leadership Academy, Class of 2024-2025
- Named a "Rising Star" for Business Litigation in Rhode Island by Super Lawyers (2021-present)
- Contractors’ Registration and Licensing Board, Public Member
- Rhode Island Bar Association
- House of Delegates, Member (District 5 - Providence)
- Superior Court Bench/Bar Committee
- New Lawyers Committee
- Forum on Construction Law, American Bar Association (ABA)
- Session Coordinator (2024 Midwinter Meeting)
- Member, Divisions 1 and 2
- ABA Litigation Section, Member
- Defense Research Institute (DRI), Member
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Co-author, "Massachusetts Students Try Their Luck: Admissions to Career Technical Education Programs Changing to a Lottery System," AGC MA Future Builders, 8th Ed. (November 2025)
- Co-author, "Building Schools: The Role of Future Builders in the Future of Massachusetts Public Education," AGC MA, Future Builders, 4th Ed. (May 2023)
- Co-author, "The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Will Encourage Construction Jobs," AGC MA, Future Builders, 3rd Ed. (November 2022)
- Author, "Mode of Operation: Not Just for Supermarkets Anymore," The Standard (February 2016)
- Comment, "What Constitutes an Objectively Unreasonable Reaction?" -- Tolan v. Cotton, 713 F.3d 299 (5th Cir. 2013), 19 Suffolk J. Trial & App. Advoc. 235 (2014)
- Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts, Volunteer Editor, Future Builders and Building Best Practices Newsletters
- JDRF New England Chapter, V1P Fundraiser
Practice Areas
- Represented an international financial services company in successfully quashing a subpoena that would have subjected the company to a “fishing expedition” deposition prior to the client being sued.
- Represented a regional telecommunications company in a dispute with a municipality regarding the municipality's hiring of the client's employee and resulting alleged breach of an anti-poaching and non-solicitation agreement.
Latest Updates in Litigation
- Represented construction client involved in a Rhode Island state agency regulatory action and negotiated resolution favorable to client's interests.
- Represented a mechanics' lien claimant to resolve construction dispute and obtain payment for unpaid and disputed work.